Healthy and wealthy: Cabbage, black-eyed peas are new year tradition

Monday

Dec 31, 2012 at 10:53 AM

New Year's Day calls for a menu of cabbage and black-eyed peas — at least in Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes, where the superstition runs deep.

Sable LeFrereStaff Writer

New Year's Day calls for a menu of cabbage and black-eyed peas — at least in Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes, where the superstition runs deep.“Many people follow the tradition. I guess that's why they eat it. They hope to have good health and wealth,” said Bayou Blue farmer Marty Rogers, who grows cabbage and sells it at the Thibodaux Main Street Farmer's Market.Folklore has it that cabbage brings wealth while black-eyed peas ensure good fortune and health. “I eat cabbage, and I tell you what, I am still not rich,” Rogers said, laughing.The Rogers family likes their cabbage smothered with pork chops or any kind of pork.Jessica Prestenbach of Chackbay uses pork ribs.“I love to cook cabbage with pork ribs. It is so tasty. The pork ribs give the cabbage a good flavor I think,” she said.As for the black-eyed peas, Rogers said his mother makes them cream-style with onion and shallots to taste. There's no scientific proof these traditional foods bring any type of fortune, luck or good health. Many people just joke about it. “My husband doesn't eat cabbage. He wonders why enough money doesn't come,” Chantell Price Mccorkel said on Facebook.Rogers and his wife, Monica, have been selling cabbage at the farmer's market for 10 years.“I was one of the first vendors there,” he said. “Since we moved to where we're at now, it's a lot better.”The market used to be located next to City Hall on Second Street and later moved to 314 St. Mary St., next to Jean Lafitte National Park.“We moved it because we need more visibility,” market manager Joyce Benoit said.Now is the time Rogers said he usually sells the most cabbage. But this year he had to cope with drought conditions and Hurricane Isaac in late August, which cut down on his crop.“We started early September when we put them in the field. We are picking them up now. The best time to grow cabbage is when it's cool. It usually grows well in this area,” he said.Despite the setback, Rogers said he gets a little wealth from his crop. “Mother Nature was a little rough on us this year. It put us way behind. We will have cabbage all the way through January though,” Rogers said.

Staff Writer Sable LeFrere can be reached at 985-857-2204 or at sable.lefrere@houamatoday.com.

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